[6] The factory remained in operation until the privatization of the public tobacco monopoly Tabacalera[7] in 1999, when the buildings properly was transferred to the Spanish Ministry of Culture.

Since its closure, several local grassroots collectives from Lavapiés organized to claim the abandoned property for the neighbourhood, as a new socio-cultural center.

[2] Eventually, in 2010 the Ministry of Culture signed an agreement with the local association SCCPP, leasing out the property on a yearly basis.

[18][2] It regularly hosts wrestling matches of international relevance,[19] flea markets, film festivals, and socio-political activities such as meetings, debates and lectures.

Located in an old tobacco factory, it's a collective cultural space where anyone can submit a proposal to set up an exhibit, organise a debate or show a documentary they've made.

"[1] Atlas Obscura magazine considered it "one of the most striking examples of Madrid's cultural diversity" and a "bastion of democracy" [15] Both the New York Times[22] and the Washington Post[16] recommended a visit.